The Colts’ franchise quarterback has been working hard to get back from injury. Now he gets his first game action in 585 days, and could play quite a lot in the first preseason game on Thursday.
Andrew Luck has been trying to get back to playing football very hard. He has been working more diligently on not skipping steps and having another set back. Luck now will be playing his first game in a long time, and could play a lot.
There is a possibility that Luck could play the entire first quarter in the preseason opener Thursday against the Seahawks. This is to help Luck get re-acclimated to the speed of the game. He needs some time on the field against real competition.
This does come with some potential risk for injury. Most starters play minimally in the first game of the preseason, if at all. That is to help mitigate injury risk to the most important player on their team. Luck is taking a minor risk playing the entire first quarter.
That risk is well worth the reward. The Colts need Luck to be as sharp as possible as quickly as possible. While he has looked good so far in camp, he still needs to face another team’s defense in order for fans to have any sort of confidence that he is fully back.
Ultimately, this is still a preseason game. The competition is not top notch. Not many of the starters play for long stretches of the game. But anytime you get to face another team, it is good practice. And Luck needs plenty of that.
Expect Luck to look good on Thursday night. He might show rust in the first series or two, but he should knock it off and look like his old self again quickly.